In U.S. Pat. No. 7,100,462 “Self Adjusting Sensor Mounting Device”, methods and devices are described for reproducibly mounting a sensor to a wide variety of cylindrical and flat surfaces in a manner that automatically compensates for the curvature of the mounting surface.
In US patent application 2009/0075248, “Particle sensor with wide linear range”, methods and devices are described for measuring particulate concentration in vessels, where the response from multiple source-detector pairs is combined to provide a linear response over a wide range of particle concentrations. Also described, are methods and devices for confining the measurement to a specific volume within the medium, as methods and devices for performing rapid sequential measurement of particle concentration in multiple vessels.
In view of the above, a need exists for devices that can read particulate concentrations directly from the containers in which they are held or cultured. It would be desirable to have methods to read particulate concentrations in atypical environments or from containment not specifically designed to be used in analytical procedures. Benefits could also be realized from methods and devices capable of reading particle concentrations in shallow samples and without the need to dilute the sample. The present invention provides these and other features that will be apparent upon review of the following.